BEIRUT, July 17. /TASS/. At least 356 people have been killed in armed clashes between forces of the transitional government and Druze mountain self-defense units in Syria's Suwayda province, according to the television channel Sky News Arabia.

The channel reports that among the dead are 55 civilians and 79 self-defense fighters. Special forces units from the Interior Ministry and Defense Ministry deployed from Damascus to reestablish stability suffered 189 fatalities, while pro-government Arab tribal militias lost 18 fighters. An additional 15 internal security personnel were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Damascus on July 16.

Earlier, the Syrian Defense Ministry announced the withdrawal of all military forces from the city of Suwayda where Druze comprise the majority population, in line with a ceasefire agreement that had been reached. The statement noted that "troops are leaving Suwayda after completing operations to clear the city of illegal armed groups, with police forces taking over control."

Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Yousef Jarbou welcomed the agreement. "We have contacted the government in Damascus and confirmed our commitment to national sovereignty," the Sheikh said on X. "The work of state institutions will be restored in all areas of Suwayda in accordance with Syrian laws and regulations."

Clashes between Arab militia and Druze self-defense units broke out in the province of Suwayda on July 13. On July 15, the Syrian army entered the eponymous city and launched a sweep operation in order to stabilize the situation. Soon after that, Israel started carrying out strikes on the Syrian army’s military columns, citing the need to protect the Druze population.

The Druze are an Arabic-speaking ethnic and religious group residing in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan. Syria has 700,000 Druze, who are the country’s third-largest ethnic and religious minority after the Kurds and the Alawites.